Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
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WILBUR – Doxie's Diner in Wilbur announced on Facebook this week that they are open for in-person seating, as well as providing takeout options. The restaurant is one of many businesses pushing back against Gov. Jay Inslee's ongoing mandate to close restaurants, gyms, bars and other establishments until Jan. 4. Governor Inslee's closure order, which originally started in March 2020, is only 86 days away from its one year anniversary of forcing businesses to close, ordering t...
DAVENPORT – The local High School switched all students to remote learning this week after two high school students tested positive for Coronavirus. Davenport Superintendent Jim Kowalkowski said the school district is working closely with the health department to ensure overall exposure to the student body is “limited.” “We have been working closely with the Health Department to complete contact tracing. At this time we still have 2 positive cases in the 11th grade, all other tests have been negative. Through our contact trac...
The Lincoln County Commissioners have passed the county’s six-year transportation plan that includes chip sealing 42 miles of county road and improvement work on the Miles-Creston road. The six-year transport plan must be passed by the county commissioners every year and includes updates about which projects will be prioritized based on funding. In 2021, three road maintenance projects will get started based on funding that is already secured for those projects. Over 42 miles of county roads are scheduled for chip sealing, a...
DAVENPORT – While online livestock and horse sales aren't anything new, many people are not aware that wild horse and burro adoptions are also offered online. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has their first auction of 2021 coming up on Tuesday, Jan. 5. BLM Outreach Specialist Paul McGuire said the online horses help provide an extra venue for people to consider adopting one of these iconic animals. "BLM has been conducting online adoptions for approximately 20 years, h...
DAVENPORT – As coronavirus restrictions continue to limit social interactions for people throughout Washington State, a group of individuals in Davenport wants to make sure that seniors are not forgotten. A new organization, Lincoln County Senior Meals, is organizing efforts to ensure that seniors throughout Lincoln County not only have hot meals, but also a chance for social connection despite virus concerns. Carl Clark, the president of the Davenport Senior Center and project lead, wants to expand the current senior meal p...
DAVENPORT – The perpetrator of a house burglary in Lamona in Sept. recently took a plea deal in Lincoln County Superior Court for stealing several items, including watches and a gold tooth crown. Angela Lou Dunson, 38, submitted an Alford plea on Dec.8 for breaking into a home owned by Karen Carlson. Dunson was with several others people when Carlson found them at her parent’s home. Dunson claimed they were looking for an estate sale in the area. Dunson later discovered several items missing from the home, including a Col...
DAVENPORT – A doctor’s clinic in Davenport may be converted to senior living apartments this summer with 12 units being offered at the site. A project being developed at Luxury Living LLC aims to convert the medical clinic located at 100 3rd Street into independent senior living apartments when the clinic moves to it’s new location near Lincoln Hospital. The completion of the new clinic at Lincoln Hospital is tentatively slated for August 2021. Apartment developers Mike Stormo and Gary Rosman will be asking the Daven...
DAVENPORT – Christmas can be a difficult time for children who have been separated from their families, but a ranch with a special connection to Davenport is ensuring many children have a home for the holidays. Morning Star Boys' Ranch, a non-profit foster home located near the Southhill of Spokane, provides a unique foster home environment for boys 6 to 13 ½ years old. The ranch is located on property donated by Davenport resident Mrs. Anna Heckett in 1956. The d...
DAVENPORT – A package of changes to the Washington State Brand Department’s fee structure last year have not helped to solve the department’s cash flow issues, despite cost increases to producers. In a report to the legislature this fall, brand department officials noted that projections made during the 2019 legislative session have not been realized and fee increases have not helped to level the department’s budget. The brand department, which started the fiscal year 2020 with an account balance of $77, anticipates being b...
DAVENPORT – Celebrating the holidays in 2020 is looking different than in years past in the wake of the coronavirus scare, but one Davenport area photographer is ensuring that photos with Santa aren't missed. Photographer Nikki Ensor of L3A Fantasy Photography is giving clients the chance to have their photo taken with a scenic winter backdrop but adding Santa post-photo shoot in order to adhere to social distancing guidelines. Using digital software, Ensor is able to add a S...
DAVENPORT – The Lincoln County computer systems are continuing to be non-functional for the third week as technicians work to rebuild systems that were compromised by an outside source. As of Dec. 7, the Lincoln County Commissioners did not know when the systems would be operational again, only that crews were continuing to work on rebuilding the system. “We have 35 servers that are having to be built one at a time,” Commissioner Rob Coffman shared. As county employees turn to old school methods like writing down recor...
DAVENPORT – A ruling in the Lincoln County Superior Court in a case involving the Family Resource Center of Lincoln County received a partial decision last month, but key issues in the case have yet to be decided. In 2018, former employee Staci Landt filed a suit against the center, alleging the board of directors of wrongfully firing Landt and the center’s executive director, Lynne Kuchenbuch. Landt alledges that the center board moved to fire Kuchenbuch after she disclosed that she had cancer in Oct. 2017. Landt had com...
REARDAN - A small soap business here is raising funds this season to equip law enforcement with specialized safety lights designed to protect officers on busy roadways. The project headed by business owner Tammy Merrill has already exceeded its goal of buying 21 lights, including providing lights for officers in the Town of Reardan. Merrill decided to start a project to buy "Guardian Angel Devices" for officers in Arizona in honor of her father in law. "I make soap and have a...
DAVENPORT – A $4.3 million FAA grant to improve the Davenport Airport is continuing to make progress as various parts of the improvement plan are approved by the City Council. A marketing contract with T&O Engineering was approved by the City Council at its Nov. 25 meeting. The contract is not to exceed $5,000 and is designed to bring in more pilots to the airport, including potential businesses. City Administrator Steve Goemmel said the airport does have space to add an aircraft related business like a repair shop or o...
DAVENPORT – The state imposed Coronavirus restrictions are continuing to have an impact on the Davenport business community, including signaling an uncertain future for the Davenport Chamber of Commerce. Since March of this year, Gov. Jay Inslee has mandated restrictions on businesses to “slow the spread” of the coronavirus including mandating masks, limiting the number of customers who can be in a business and prohibiting indoor dining. Public meetings were also banned or limited to a certain number of attendees. The actio...
DAVENPORT – Sue Tebow is not a professor, a professional anthologist, or a university researcher but her daily work falls neatly in the lines of preserving culture as it is happening. Tebow, a blogger and ag advocate, has made it her mission for the last four years to write a story about someone in ag every day. As she chronicles the lives of farmers, ranchers, farm kids and hired hands, Tebow has been taking notes and snapping photos to create content for her website on t...
DAVENPORT – A lawsuit by the Lincoln County Commissioners to ensure that negotiations with public employee labor unions are open to the public has received a ruling from the state appeals court. The decision sets the case to potentially be considered by the Washington State Supreme Court. In the lawsuit, which dates back to 2019, the Lincoln County Commissioners asked the courts to ensure that negotiations with public employee unions, like Teamsters 690 that represents the county’s law enforcement employees, not be allowed to...
DAVENPORT – The Lincoln Hospital District is set to review their 2021 budget this Thursday, Nov. 19 with plans to approve a $34 million budget that shows the district in a positive financial state. A preliminary budget was reviewed by Lincoln Hospital Board members on Nov. 12, with figures showing $34 million in revenue and $26 million in expenses. The largest expense for the hospital district that includes three medical clinics, assisted living, long term and transitional care is staffing. The district employs over 250 p...
HARRINGTON – The Harrington Opera House is offering its online meeting space to community members who may need to attend online meetings for work or school during COVID-19 restrictions. A dedicated room in the opera house building has a large screen, a laptop and high-speed internet. The space, being referred to as the "Zoom Room", is being offered to the public by donation. Opera House Technology Coordinator Karen Robertson said the opera house had originally set up the o...
LINCOLN COUNTY – The Lincoln County Commissioners are working with department heads to create a balanced budget for 2021, but surmounting a projected $1.2 million shortfall will require some deliberate actions. The situation at present is one of “revenues down, expenses up” according to Lincoln County Commissioner Rob Coffman. “We are roughly $1.2 million from balancing the 2021 budget due to some drops in revenue,” Coffman said. “Our overall revenue is expected to be down $400,000 while our expenses are going to increase $3...
HARRINGTON – The Harrington School Board recently passed a “gender inclusive” policy on Oct. 28 to address the needs of transgender and gender-expansive students. The policy affirms that an “inclusive approach” to transgender and gender-expansive students in regards to “use of names and pronouns”, “restroom and locker room use”, dress codes and other items. The goal of the policy is to “provide these students with an equal opportunity for learning and achievement.” In order to do this, the policy outlines that the dis...
DAVENPORT – At an Oct. 23 meeting, the Davenport City Council voted to accept a one percent increase of the property tax collected by the county on city properties, a move that will bring the city roughly $2,600 a year. According to Lincoln County officials, properties in the city of Davenport in 2020 were worth an assessed value of $107 million. The county taxes those properties at the rate of 3.375%, a tax that brings in $278, 752 to the county coffers. State law allows the city of Davenport to take one percent of that r...
HARRINGTON – At a Oct. 28 meeting of the Harrington City Council, the council determined how to spend over $10,000 in federal assistance granted to the city via the CARES act. Council members Peter Davenport, David Buddrius, Stephen Hardy, and Levi Schenk, along with Mayor Justin Slack attended the meeting. The council approved the purchase of several items related to upgrading technology at city hall. The council approved spending $700 on a microphone to record online meetings and $6,000 on iPads and associated a...
On the Lincoln County voters’ ballot, two spots were being heavily watched during the 2020 general election. The 13th district legislative house seat will be retained by Rep. Tom Dent (R) for the next two years, with the incumbent legislator pulling 69 percent of the vote in Lincoln County over his Democrat competitor Eduardo Castañeda-Díaz. The people of Lincoln County also chose Jeff Barkdull, who currently serves as Lincoln County Prosecutor, to replace retiring Judge John Strohmaier. Barkdull ran against current Dis...
DAVENPORT - They may be on a bucking horse in Montana, or riding bulls in Colorado or parking their gear bag behind the chutes at practice pens near Reardan. They are often smaller than their fellow riders and can be spotted by their long hair and narrow shoulders. They are spunky, brave and stubborn. These are the women of roughstock. In rodeo roughstock - event that include buckin' horses and bulls - are considered men's events. But a new generation of cowgirls is showing th...
